Why do great things sometimes come out of tragedies? Have you ever thought about this? Can we learn something from this to help us create a successful business or reach some other goals we may have in life? Let's start with a few good examples: Alex's Lemonade Stand - was created to help kids with cancer and was created by Alex Scott who opened her first lemonade stand at age 4 ! Although she knew she had terminal cancer she did it to help raise money to find a cure for other kids. Alex died of her cancer in 2004 but her dream lives on. You can find more about Alex's cause here: http://www.alexslemonade.com America's Most Wanted - is hosted by John Walsh who's son was abducted and murdered. John turned his passion of standing up for victim's into the nations number one crime fighting show that so far has captured 846 criminals. You can find more information about John Walsh here: http://www.amw.com/about_amw/john_walsh.cfm Megan's Law - After 7 year old Megan Kanka was rapped and murderd by a known sex offender who had moved across the street from the Kanka's without their knowledge, the Kanka's sought to have local communities warned about sex offenders in the area. Today every state has some form of Megan's Law to warn communities of known sex offenders living in their community. Mothers Against Drunk Drivers MADD - In 1980, MADD started with a loosely assembled group of brokenhearted mothers. Today, it is the largest crime victims' assistance organization in the world with more than 3 million members and supporters. Due in large part to MADD's efforts, more than an estimated 138,000 people are alive today and an untold number have received comfort, support and assistance in dealing with the aftermath of a drunk driving crash. For more information about MADD: http://www.madd.org So is there some things in common and how can these lessons help us succeed at whatever we decide to do in life ? One thing they all have in common is Focus and Commitment. I often see people come up with dozens of reasons to not do something like "I might fail", "I might lose money", "My family won't let me" - the excuses are endless. But a tragedy changes all that. When a tragedy occurs people go into "we have to do something" mode and they become like a freight train - get in the way of what they need to accomplish and you will get run over. They won't let anything stand in their way until something good comes out of it. The desire to do something to help right a wrong breaks down barriers, motivating all involved with a common cause. People will go to great lengths to seek out news media attention , get others involved in their cause and if need be, have new laws enacted. Somehow, it was not important before the tragedy or not many people gave it any thought until it was too late. Wouldn't it be better if you could prevent a tragedy before it every happened in the first place? How many times have you said to yourself "someday someone is going to get hurt or killed because of that" and then one day it happens and you say to yourself that you knew that would happen. The problem is, that many people wait for someone else to do something about the problem, as if others think exactly like they do. It's this ability to identify a problem, come up with some possible solutions and spring into action to solve the problem that helps make a great leader. Great leaders also develop a knack to help others see the problem the same way they do and to help motivate others to help in their cause. This same great leadership ability helps people succeed in business. Suggestion You may want to identify a problem in your community, identify some possible solutions, form an action plan, and try to solve that problem. It may be a great low risk, and no cost, way to test your organization and leadership skills and to see if you have what it takes to build a successful business. Helping to solve a problem in your community may even put you in touch with some politicians or recognized business leaders in your community who recognize and support your cause and may later help you in your business endeavors. Did you enjoy this article? Do you know of anyone that could benefit from this article? Please add a link to this article from your website, favorite blog, web board or forum that you visit if you think others can gain from this article. Please feel free to discuss ideas discussed in this article but please do not copy it in part or in full. All content on this page is copyrighted and is protected under copyright laws.